The Kerala High Court has declined the pleas of Asha Lawrence and Sujatha Boban, daughters of the late communist leader M M Lawrence, to take custody of their father’s remains. Instead, the court has upheld a previous decision to allow the Government Medical College Hospital in Ernakulam to retain his body for educational purposes.
The ruling, delivered by Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice S Manu, affirms a single judge’s earlier decision that had dismissed the appeals by Lawrence’s daughters. The division bench’s decision left the family members divided, with dramatic events unfolding last September at the Ernakulam town hall during a public homage for Lawrence.
Asha Lawrence, one of the daughters, had vocally protested the decision to donate her father’s body to the medical college, which had been supported by other family members, including M L Sajeevan, Lawrence’s son. According to medical college authorities, Lawrence had given his written consent in March 2024 for his body to be used for educational purposes after his death, witnessed by two individuals.
The late M M Lawrence, who passed away on September 21 at the age of 95, had been a prominent figure in the communist movement. His legacy is now at the center of a legal and familial dispute over the use of his remains.
